Hyundai Puts Focus on Driving Fun With i30, i30 N

Hyundai unveils its i30 N high-performance hot hatch and all-new i30 Fastback at a doubleheader preview event in Dusseldorf, Germany, well in advance of the two new entries’ global presentation at the Frankfurt auto show in September.

Thomas Schmid, Hyundai Motor Europe’s chief operating officer, announces 30 new models and derivatives will be launched on the continent over the next five years. He says the range of i10, i20, i30 and i40 models represents “Hyundai’s DNA” and continues to be the core of the brand’s success in Europe.

He defines the four cornerstones of Hyundai Europe’s new strategic platform as the DNA models, development of future mobility based on eco-friendly models, the expanding range of SUVs, and performance and emotion as embodied in the new N car range (N signifying Hyundai’s Namyang R&D center in Korea and the Nurburgring test track in Germany).

The i30 N is available with a 2.0L turbocharged gasoline engine that develops 246 hp. An optional performance package boosts output to 271 hp. The getaway from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) is 6.1 seconds, said to be faster than the Volkswagen Golf GTI, one of the models it has in its sights.

Of the i30 N, Hyundai’s Albert Biermann, executive vice president-vehicle testing and high-performance development, says: “The Hyundai i30 N has been developed for no other purpose than to deliver maximum driving fun to customers in an accessible high-performance package.

“With the high-performance N models we will enhance our brand’s appeal with emotional products that cater to the needs of people who love to have a smile on their face when they drive their car.”

The all-new i30 Fastback is available with a 1.4L naturally aspirated engine or 1.0L turbo. Hyundai says a 1.6L turbodiesel will be offered later as the new i30 family takes hold in Europe. Spokesmen are calling the all-new i30 range “the new people’s car,” sure to rankle VW, whose corporate name translates as “people’s car.”

Serial production of the i30 hatch is to begin in September at the Hyundai Motor Mfg. Czech plant in Nosovice, Czech Republic.